As a book, it has some real flaws: Mr. Konisberg must not be father: while Konigberg’s gets points for having the father react positively to the news his son, Bobby, is gay, it’s highly unlikely that either parent would welcome another, older gay male (Bryan) to their home without voicing SOME concern, at least to Bobby, about safe sex . The author makes the frequent rookie mistake of trying to cover too much ground with too many elements. The supportive (and essentially non-sexual romantic) older gay role model should have been the school counselor or the uncle of the Rahim character. The father’s illness and cancer treatment also took up space that could have been used to take the character to the end of the school year, where the readers could have learned that the Bobby character got recruited by a good Division III program like Occidental or a Division II school like UC San Diego, as an openly gay college football player, either totally plausible. Another unlikely and unrealistic plot point is the entire “outing” by the student reporter. In the text, the editor states the reporter “vouched” for his own story. No decent editor, even in high school, would allow a reporter to vouch for what he would know to be such a significant and personal detail as student (and particularly high school football quarterback) homosexuality). California has a written right to privacy law. Even if students don’t get all of these rights, that’s typically when the administration wants to do something like search their lockers in the interest of the ‘greater good’ – public safety. In this case, Bobby’s privacy would be a significant hurdle for the editor and/or faculty adviser (who would have clued in the principal) to just ignore, tape or no tape. Additionally, if the editor (or advisor) heard the total tape — and they would and should — they would hear Bobby state, quite clearly, “maybe we should turn that off.” A good reporter would also have prefaced the tape, ‘do you mind if I tape this.’ The first interview, at the cafeteria was not equally taped, so immediately that creates a problem — unless the author needs to (in time honored TV fashion) create and manufacture melodrama as an easy plot point to move his story along. Likewise, even if the oldest friend Bobby has is not really close why would he tell other team members, particularly the Dennis character that neither this friend nor Bobby is close to — except that the author needs the plot point. The author’s sports background adds realism to the locker room and main character’s narration. However, these details detract from the overall boo

@Jake So I am pretty sure we disagree errrrr on every point you’ve raised, actually!

You’re framing almost every point in absolutes, which by doing so discredits the feelings of people who have suffered through things like these and gotten, if not a happy ending, at least a positive one.

You say, “the parents wouldn’t do this”—I disagree, because I had parents who did it, and friends whose parents did it. You say, “the school wouldn’t have let this happen”—I disagree, because I worked on a high school newspaper in the south and know how sometimes, journalistic integrity was constantly put aside, where The Powers That Be had worse to worry about that some gay kid getting outted. They just didn’t care. It’s nice to pretend every school in every district is going to be fluffy-let’s-talk-this out, but it’s also not realistic, considering how you have to threaten lawsuits to some schools before any changes take place—and let’s assume that a gay kid who has just been outed doesn’t want to get locked into that kind of mess, or even know he can do so. There are tons of ways to look at that other than “well, this isn’t realistic.” What’s real, anyway? Things are different all over.

Also, did you read the book? The character who outs Bobby isn’t a good reporter. It’s kind of the point of the whole book. That’s why he made the tape in the first place, knowing full well Bobby’s wishes. I find it really hard to take your criticisms seriously, since his lack of shame and underhandedness is a huge part of the book—that Bobby worked hard, deserved his successes, and had them taken away by someone willing to cheat and hurt people on his climb to the top, and the only response I see for this is “oh hey this other interview wasn’t taped” and “the school wouldn’t do that”—the latter which, well, I’ve already discussed. Teacher led prayer! Would that happen? You bet your ass it’s still happening where I live. It’s a mistake to think that every place in every city in every country is going to be the same. It’s dismissive of experience.

Now, let’s see. Why would a gay kid tell someone who seems sympathetic to them, who isn’t not part of their social circle, who (in Bobby’s mind) is pretty harmless, that he’s gay? Why would he tell his coach, who he trusts implicitly? Why do kids choose to tell the wrong people gossip about themselves? It is because they’re totally adults with years of excellent reasoning and critical analysis under their very mature belts? Or is it because they’re kids and everyone who they’re close to is going to likely be hurt or horrified or dismissive about the truth and going outside this seems safer—even when it’s the exact opposite? I thought the book spelled that out pretty clearly, that trusting the people around you, the people you’re close to, is not something to be afraid of, and also that people can surprise you. There’s a lot going on in this book.

I also find it humorous that you want to rip a really positive father/son side-plot that drives a lot of Bobby’s angst and fear and uncertainty out of the book and replace to it with a happy-ending that centers on what I consider the least important—whether Bobby continues to play football. I don’t think Bobby’s story needs that—his acceptance of himself outside the content of football is the happy ending.

It’s cool that you didn’t like the book, but er, I think you’re going about discrediting it as unrealistic in the wrong way.